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Diction
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A--used before words and letters with an initial consonant sound
Examples:
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a CPA, a historical event
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An--used before words and letters with an initial vowel sound
Examples:
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Alot--incorrect spelling for a lot
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Accept--verb: to take
Example:
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I graciously accept your invitation.
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Except--verb: to omit; preposition: but
Examples:
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Mothers of small children are excepted from jury duty.
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Everyone was excused except Joe and me.
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Advice--noun (ending prounounced "ice")
Example:
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Most good advice falls on deaf ears.
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Advise--verb (rhymes with devise)
Example:
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The protestors were advised to submit a list of their grievances.
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Affect--verb: to influence
Example:
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The noise affects my concentration.
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Effect--noun: result; verb: to bring about
Examples:
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His speech had a positive effect on me.
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The President has effected a new tax law.
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Alright--incorrect spelling for all right
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Almost--adverb
Examples:
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We sold almost all the tickets.
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Most--adjective or pronoun
Examples:
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We sold most of the tickets.
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Among--used for relationships involving MORE THAN TWO people or things
Example:
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There is a silent closeness among the family members.
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Between--used for relationships involving ONLY TWO people or things
Examples:
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Lois and Hattie had only fifty cents between them.
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Amount--used with singular (mass) nouns (see less)
Examples:
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amount of work, amount of credit
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Number--used with plural (countable) nouns (see fewer)
Examples:
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number of classes, number of mistakes
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As, as if, as though--used before clauses (see like)
Examples:
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It looks as if (not like) it's going to rain.
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He acts as though (not like) he has Alzheimer's disease.
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Be sure and--misused for be sure to
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Try and--misused for try to
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Could of--misused for could have
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Should of--misused for should have/ might of--misused for might have/ would of--misused for would have
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Different than--used only when a clause follows
Example:
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The old plantation is different than it used to be.
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Different from--used always except when a clause follows
Example:
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Her hairdo is different from yours.
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Due to--used to introduce adjective phrases; means "caused by"
Example:
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His mistakes were due to carelessness.
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Because of--used to introduce adverb phrases; means "as a result of"
Example:
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He was dismissed because of his dishonesty.
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Due to the fact that--misused and wordy for because
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Enthuse/enthused--colloquialisms for enthusiastic
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Fewer--used with countable nouns (see number)
Examples:
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fewer cigarettes, fewer people
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Less--used with mass nouns or general amounts (see amount)
Examples:
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Hopefully--used as an adverb meaning "in a hopeful manner," not as a sentence modifier (NOTE: Hopefully is usually misused when placed at the beginning of a sentence.)
Example:
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The children waited hopefully for the packages to arrive.
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WRONG: Hopefully, the team will win.
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Irregardless--misused for regardless
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Is when/is where--should not be used to introduce an explanation or a definition
- WRONG:
Plagiarism is when a writer presents the thoughts and ideas of another author as his own.
- Correction:
Plagiarism occurs when a writer presents the thoughts and ideas of another author as his own.
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Kind of/sort of--correctly used preceding nouns, not adjectives
Example:
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I enjoy reading this kind of magazine.
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WRONG:
- The movie was kind of boring.
Correction:
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The movie was rather boring.
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Lead & led--Lead (pronounced "leed") means "to go first." Its principal parts are lead, leads, leading, led (rhymes with red), and (have) led.
Examples:
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Priests lead lives of celibacy.
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The man led a life of celibacy before he became a priest.
- NOTE: The homonym for led is a noun.
Example:
- The lead in this pencil is broken.
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Lend--verb: to allow the use of (lending, lent, [have] lent)
Examples:
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The credit union lends (not loans) money to members only.
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I lent (not loaned) my book to her last week.
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Loan--noun: something lent for temporary use
Example:
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I need to establish credit so that I can be eligible for a loan.
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Lie--verb: to rest or recline (lying, lay, [have] lain)
Examples:
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I lie on the couch every day.
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I lay on the couch for hours yesterday.
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The sweater is still lying on the couch.
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Lay--verb: to put or place (laying, laid, [have] laid)
Examples:
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Where did he lay my brush?
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I must have laid it down somewhere yesterday.
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I'm always laying things down and forgetting where I laid them.
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Like--preposition used to introduce a phrase, not a clause (see as, as if, and as though)
Examples:
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His features are unique like a fingerprint.
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It looks like rain.
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Principal--noun: chief official; adjective: foremost, major
Principle--noun: axiom, rule
Example:
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Her principal reasons for resigning were her principles of right and wrong.
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Reason is because/reason was because--misused for reason is that/reason was that
Example:
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The reason he was promoted is that (not is because) he worked exceptionally hard.
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Rise--verb: to go up (rising, rose, [have] risen)
Example:
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She must rise early in the morning to get to work on time.
Raise--verb: to push up (raising, raised, [have] raised)
Example:
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The landlord must raise the rent to cover an increase in taxes.
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Sit--verb: to be seated (sitting, sat, [have] sat)
Example:
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Good students usually sit on the front row.
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Set--verb: to put, to place (setting, set, [have] set)
Examples:
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Please set the paperwork on my desk.
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Try to set a positive example for young people to follow.
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Suppose to/use to--incorrect spellings for supposed to and used to
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Than--conjunction
Example:
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Amy is a better tennis player than I.
Then--adverb of time (often misused for than)
Example:
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The cashier rang up our sale; then he gave us our change.